Mithun Chakraborty won National Award but had no work, danced at parties for food, slept on footpaths - The Indian Express

Mithun Chakraborty’s journey to stardom has been anything but easy. To get two square meals of the day, the actor used to perform at parties for food instead of a fee. While many considered him lucky for winning a National Award soon after his debut Mrigayaa, for Mithun, it was merely the beginning of a long struggle. There were days when he slept on the footpath and cleaned a gym in exchange for access to its washroom. At one point, he even left Bombay to run a hotel in Ooty, but destiny had other plans. Years later, the actor who had once slept on the streets went on to become one of India’s highest taxpayers for several consecutive years.

Mithun Chakraborty recently opened up about several aspects of his life when filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan visited his Mumbai home.

Speaking about the actor, Farah Khan shared, “When I was young, my uncle, KK Shukla, used to write movies for Amitabh Bachchan. Your dad used to come to his parties to dance, only so that he could get food to eat in the night.”

She added, “We were too young then, they used to say, bring Mithun home, the boy dances well. He used to come, wouldn’t charge anything, he would get dinner there in return for his performance. That struggle is something else. A lot of people randomly use the word struggle, but this is what real struggle looks like.”

Mithun added, “This is beyond struggle.” Farah continued, “Beyond in the sense, he has slept on the streets, footpath.”

Mithun recalled, “I slept on street, garden, a couple of times I used to be so tired while walking, I would fall asleep on footpath. When I would wake up, I would find myself on footpath.”

Farah claimed, “I think he is the only star who became a megastar after starting his journey as a junior artist.”

During the conversation, Mithun was dressed in a black bandhgala coat accessorised with a muffler. He paired the look with black bottoms, a cap and studded shoes.

Looking at Mithun’s appearance, Farah said, “You are a style icon.”

She added, “Back then, people would make fun of you and Govinda for your outfit choices. But if you see today, all of them are copying you both. Right from people in New York Fashion Week to Ranveer Singh and Karan Johar.” Pointing at Mithun, Farah said: “He was ahead of his time. One should never make fun like this.”

Speaking about Karan, Farah said, “Karan wears all your outfits from your Disco Dancer era.”

While exploring the house, Farah pointed at a yellow Beetle and asked, “Whose car is this? Do y’all still drive it or is it just for show?”

Mithun’s son Namashi revealed, “This is dad’s first house.” He added, “When he passed out from FTII in 1975, his first film came in 1976. Despite a National Award win, he didn’t have any work. He had no house, so he spent 15 days of his life in Mumbai in this car.”

A curious Farah asked, “He had a car but?”

Mithun’s other son, Mimoh, shared, “This was his first car. So he would live and sleep in his car.”

When asked how he would use a bathroom, his sons revealed that there was a gym where Mithun would sweep and mop in exchange for being allowed to use its shower.

“This car is 50 years old. We have maintained it,” they added.

Farah Khan and Mithun Chakraborty also spoke about the actor becoming one of the first stars to venture into the hotel business.

Mithun shared, “In 1994, I started a hotel in Ooty and then now I also have one in Bangalore.”

A curious Farah asked, “But why did you start Monarch hotel in Ooty?”

Mithun explained, “It was the time when my career seemed shaky. My movies weren’t doing so well. Some worked, others didn’t. I was facing a downfall from where I was. I had a fear that if my career as an actor ends after this, I won’t have the chance to make a comeback once the stardom is over.”

He added, “I had three kids by then. I didn’t have an option. I didn’t want my children to see things that I saw growing up. It was then Pinky suggested that we should shift to Ooty to run our hotel. We came to a conclusion that if I operated the hotel in my presence, people would book it because of my name and it would have a great run and it did. But soon after, my career also took off.”

Mithun and his family also welcomed their daughter in Ooty, while his other three children were admitted to a school there.

Farah claimed that Mithun’s hotel is a very lucky hotel. She explained, “We stayed there for Dil Se and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.”

Mithun agreed with Farah and said, “It is a very lucky hotel. Whoever stayed there to shoot their films, all of their films have worked at the box office.”

Farah Khan also recalled the phase when Mithun would complete films in just a month.

Mithun shared, “I would prepare for the role for at least six months, but shoot them in less than a month. This one year, 19 of my films released. I even have won Limca Book Of Record.”

Mithun Chakraborty made his debut with the 1976 film Mrigayaa, for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor. However, it was not until the 1979 film Suraksha that he first tasted commercial success. Later, the 1982 film Disco Dancer turned Mithun Chakraborty into the ‘Disco King’ and made him a household name.

In the early 1990s, his career began to experience a downturn, prompting the actor to explore other avenues, including the hospitality business.